1. Field of Invention
The instant invention generally relates to an inflatable tourniquet and the method of use thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to an inflatable tourniquet to facilitate medical practitioners"" drawing of blood and/or starting an intravenous line.
2. State of the Art
The process of drawing blood or starting of an intravenous line requires that a vein of the patient be punctured with an aperture/needle tip. This process, known as venipuncture and performed by medical professionals numerous times a day, is sometimes easy and sometimes notxe2x80x94especially for inexperienced or tentative practitioners, and when performed on elderly or young people, or intravenous drug users.
Each heartbeat consists of a period of cardiac contraction and a period of cardiac relaxation resulting in a pulsating flow of blood, which can be palpated at various arteries in the body, such as the brachial artery in the arm and the radial artery in the wrist. As blood travels through the body, resistance within the blood vessels leads to a continuous decrease in blood pressure throughout the circulatory system. As a result, the large veins of the arm, for instance, have a much lower internal pressure than the arteries that feed these veins. In addition, the walls of the veins are thinner than those of the arteries because they contain less muscle. This combination of lower internal pressures and thinner walls makes veins more easily collapsible.
Under normal conditions, veins are in a near collapsed state and must be distended prior to venipuncture. It has generally been found effective for the medical practitioner to first apply a tourniquet to block the blood flow from the vein, while at the same time allow passage of blood thereto. Presently, medical practitioners utilize an elastic band, tying it to the upper arm to cut off the flow of blood from the vein located at the intersection of the bicep and forearm. However, this procedure sometimes fails, as the pressure applied by the tourniquet may be excessive thereby blocking the flow in the artery that feeds the vein. Conversely, if too little occluding pressure is applied, the vein may partially empty, which leads to inadequate distention. Accordingly, there is a recognized need for a more effective method and apparatus to cut off the flow of blood from the vein, but allow free flow through the artery that feeds the vein.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for cutting off the flow of blood from a vein while allowing free flow through the artery that feeds the vein.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tourniquet that may be easily adjusted.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an inflatable tourniquet and the method of use thereof.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an inflatable tourniquet for use by medical practitioners in preparation for venipuncture.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an inflatable tourniquet for use by medical practitioners in the drawing of blood and/or starting an intravenous line.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent in the following description.
The present invention provides an inflatable tourniquet including an inflatable occluding band, for placement about a limb of a patient; a pump for inflating the occluding band, wherein the pump is capable of producing sufficient pressure within the occluding band in order to block blood flow in a vein of the patient; a fluid conduit, in fluid communication between the occluding band and the pump; and a pressure relief valve, for releasing the fluid from the occluding band.
The present invention further provides an inflatable tourniquet that does not include a mechanism for measuring blood pressure, yet may include a simple pressure gauge for measuring pressure within the tourniquet.
The present invention further provides a method of preparing a patient for the insertion of a needle into a vein, by providing an inflatable tourniquet including an inflatable occluding band, a pump, and a pressure relief valve; placing the occluding band about a limb of a patient; and inflating the occluding band using the pump, so as to produce sufficient pressure within the occluding band to block blood flow in the vein of the patient.